For some people, a seaside holiday means relaxing and getting a tan on the beach. For adrenaline-seeking enthusiasts, however, it means fun, games and strong sensations. From clear-bottomed boats, scuba diving and the more commercial – parasailing and jet skiing, to water parks with waterslides, passing through an aquarium with sharks and stingrays, in this article we have selected some of the most fun and extreme water attractions that can make your vacation even more unforgettable.
What are the most fun water attractions in the world and in our country?
SEABOB
Have you ever imagined you could swim fast and free like a dolphin? If yes, you already have that possibility. SEABOB is the world’s fastest underwater scooter, allowing adventure-seeking enthusiasts to swim 40m underwater or move quickly and easily on its surface. Swimming with SEABOB unites and gives a whole new look to snorkeling, freediving and scuba diving and creates a feeling of freedom in the water. The machine has two gears – up and down, it is easy to control, very manoeuvrable and has a very comfortable grip. The only thing one has to do to dive into the water is to shift the weight of their body, but for all this a quick briefing is given before entering the water. You don’t need to be an experienced swimmer to embark on an experience like this. The cruising speed is 20 km/h above water and 14 km/h under water.There is a display on the front of the scooter that shows the water temperature and the depth we are at. There is also an underwater camera that captures your every discovery underwater, and it can be directly connected to your phone and transfer all the photos there.The price for half an hour with SEABOB is about 100 BGN, and in Bulgaria it is available mainly on the South Black Sea coast, and other more exotic places are Ibiza, Miami, Aruba, Bahamas, o. Mauritius, etc.Kitesurfing with foil boardKitesurfing is another extreme and fun water attraction. It combines elements and features of wakeboarding, surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, paragliding and skateboarding. To get into the water with the kite and surfboard, prior training is necessary, but the innovations that are made every year in the necessary equipment and in lightening the boards, make this sport increasingly safe.Kitesurfing with a foil board has become very popular in the last 2-3 years. This is the fastest surfboard to date. It is equipped with a hydro foil system – an underwater wing that lifts you up and allows you to literally fly over the water. It moves at about 40 km/h. Often this type of board is also used instead of water skis, i.e. the “rider” is pulled by a boat holding on to a rope. Popular destinations for kitesurfing in our country are Burgas, Pomorie, Varna, camping Gradina, Zlatna Rybka, Shkorpilovtsi, Krapets, etc., and around the world Brazil, Egypt, Tunisia, Hawaii, Canary Islands, Morocco, o. Mauritius, etc.
Ski jet
Jet skiing is a very popular sport among lovers of water attractions and adventures. It is synonymous with action and raises the adrenaline to a very high degree due to the rapid speed of speeding through the water. You don’t have to be a professional swimmer to enjoy this fierce experience, but always wear a life jacket.Some of the best places to go jet skiing in the world are Hawaii, the Gold Coast (Australia), O. Denarau (Fiji), Miami and Naples (Italy). Each of these locations offers a different experience, and some are quite luxurious. In Bulgaria, ski jets are available in all major seaside resorts, with prices usually ranging around 50-100 BGN/hour.Parasailing (water parachuting)Parasailing is an amazing experience that is sure to keep the memories of summer alive until at least next year. It is a parachute flight at a height of 150 m above the sea, taking off and landing from a specialised motor boat (paraglider). This extreme experience guarantees strong emotions and an incredible feeling of freedom and tranquillity.In Bulgaria parasailing has been offered for several years now and prices range around 90-120 BGN. However, if you want to try it somewhere abroad and enjoy exotic views, the best places for this are Copacabana (Rio de Janeiro), Miami (USA), Cape Town (South Africa), Goa (India), Sydney (Australia), Hawaii (USA), Phuket (Thailand) and Bali (Indonesia).
Inflatable bananas
If you want to have fun on the sea waves with your family and friends, then hop on an inflatable banana. A motorboat will tow you at high speed over the rough sea surface, ensuring lots of bouncing and frolicking. This adventure is suitable for both adults and children.Besides guaranteed good fun, inflatable bananas have another big plus. When a person tries to maintain balance on the moving banana, he uses and strains all the large muscle groups, which favors their tightening, calorie burning and improves the work of the cardiovascular system.Scuba diving with an instructorScuba diving is a great choice for people looking for adventure and wanting to learn about underwater life – coral reefs, caves, flora and fauna, and why not sunken ships. There are several great diving destinations in the world – Maldives, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Bahamas, Hawaii, Indonesia, Fiji Islands, Thailand, Hurghada, etc. They offer clear turquoise waters with a rich variety of fish dressed in a million colors, huge sea turtles, rays, manta rays, sharks, octopuses, unearthly corals and other bizarre representatives of marine flora and fauna. Before diving, you will need to undergo appropriate training, which is offered at all dive locations.There are also interesting dive sites along our Black Sea coast. However, due to the lack of oxygen 200 m below the surface, amateur divers can mostly observe shipwrecks and underwater caves. The best diving destinations in our country are Sozopol, Nessebar, Pomorie, Tsarevo, Varvara, Primorsko, Lozenets, Ahtopol, etc.
Cave diving
Open water diving and cave diving are two completely different concepts. Exploring underwater caves is as exciting as it is risky. In fact, this type of diving is believed to be one of the most dangerous ways to explore. That is why,for its serious practice, several years of training and experience are required.There are already many popular caves for diving for amateurs in the world, which have been explored by divers and are marked with signs. They also have ropes that amateurs can follow, entering in stages and back to the exit without the risk of getting lost, injured or stuck.The largest underwater cave in the world is on the Yucatan Peninsula – Mexico. It is 346 m long and offers diving for amateur divers. In Bulgaria cave diving is practiced mainly in Rusalka, Tyulenovo, Shabla and Kamen Bryag.Diving with a wetsuit
Scuba diving is a relatively new attraction that has quickly gained the interest of many diving enthusiasts, and not only. It allows you to freely walk on the seabed at a depth of 5-7 meters, while enjoying all the colorful representatives of the animal and plant underwater world – fish, corals, shells and a bunch of others. If you don’t make sudden movements and don’t move much, you can even pet them.Unlike standard diving, here the wetsuit allows you to breathe completely normally underwater and there is no need to carry oxygen tanks on your back or have any other special equipment. The suits are connected to the surface by a hose that continuously supplies oxygen. Св. Lucia, Is. St. Thomas, Cozumel (Mexico) are among the most popular places where scuba diving is a very popular water attraction.
Water bike
Water bikes with a completely new design, completely different from the traditional boat type water bikes, are one of the latest attractions that are gaining popularity. They are steered in the same way as standard sport bikes, but are designed to convert the maximum amount of energy one exerts to pedal into speed to propel the water motor. The maximum speed that can be reached with them is 16 km/h.Water bikes are synonymous with fun and fitness. Because of the less friction that there is in the water, they are also suitable for people of advanced age, besides there is no risk of accidents and falling. Along with that, riding a water bike burns a lot more fat and calories than normal cycling. Amalfi (Italy), Estonia, Florida, Hawaii, Bermuda, Colombia, Washington, North and South Carolina, Minnesota, California, Canada are some of the destinations that offer such attraction.
Boats with transparent bottom
For those who wish to see the seabed and its inhabitants without diving, transparent bottom boat trips are available. The glass bottom allows you to enjoy the variety of flora and fauna while comfortably seated on deck. And exactly what you will observe depends mainly on your choice of destination.This attraction is available in many locations around the world, islands such as Gili, and Lombok in Thailand, Meedhuparu in the Maldives, Palawan in the Philippines, Cayo Coco in Cuba, Zakynthos in neighboring Greece are recommended.Very fashionable in recent years are also the boats with transparent bottom, which are on the principle of a submarine, their entire bottom and sides are covered with glass, which allows an even more immersive experience as it provides a 360-degree panorama of the bottom. These can mostly be found in the Caribbean around the USA, in Turks & Caicos and in Montenegro.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is an individual water sport offered on almost all major beaches in Bulgaria. It consists in controlling a board (surfboard) to which a sail is attached. Beginner windsurfers have to pass a training course, but according to instructors, after only the first 2 hours enthusiasts are ready to launch themselves on the board.The price varies around 40-60 BGN per hour. Suitable resorts in our country are Nessebar, Sozopol, Primorsko, Tsarevo and Arkutino. And lovers of more extreme experiences can visit destinations such as Morocco, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Namibia, Egypt and the Philippines.Which are the best water parks in the world?From meandering rivers to diving into pools with diverse marine fauna to sliding down vertical slides, the variety of emotions and experiences that can be experienced at water parks is truly vast. And see which are some of the most iconic in the world below.Siam Park, Tenerife, SpainForthe past 4 years, this waterpark has held the top spot for best waterpark in the world in Tripadvisor’s rankings. And that’s no coincidence. One of the best attractions is the Tower of Power, where visitors can reach speeds of 80km/h sliding down a 30-metre slide through an aquarium full of sharks and rays.
Universal’s Volcano Bay, Florida, United States
A spectacular volcano surrounded by palm trees, beautiful waterfalls, a sunny beach and high-adrenaline water slides – that’s what Universal’s Volcano Bay waterpark in Florida looks like. In addition to its remarkable appearance, it also fascinates with the “Krakataw” water slide, which moves around the recreated volcano of the same name. It’s a speed ride down from the top, then the slide climbs back up the hill, meandering past the enormous volcano.Or if you want to feel the power of the volcano itself, you can take a ride in a 4-seater canoe that goes deep into its structure and then descends down the waterfall. Not one, but two “slow rivers” (from lazy river; a river slide on which one moves slowly and freely) circle the water park.Aquaventure Waterpark Atlantis, Dubai, UAEA distinctive attraction of Aquaventure Waterpark Atlantis – the largest waterpark in the Middle East – is the huge “slow river” circling the entire waterpark. Each ride on it lasts a full 45 minutes. A similar slide connects two attraction towers – the Tower of Poseidon and the Tower of Neptune.The Tower of Neptune includes The Leap of Faith, Shark Attack and Water Coasters. The first one is for the biggest daredevils, ready for an almost vertical descent down a tubular slide from a height of about 18 meters. The Shark Attack slide, on the other hand, moves visitors along an inner tube to the heart of Neptune’s Tower, passing through an underwater lagoon filled with different species of sharks.Poseidon’s Tower includes the Aquaconda, Zoomerango, Poseidon’s Revenge and Slitherine slides, which are also for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. Both towers have descender height requirements of at least 1.20m. A new 34-metre tower with 12 slides is also currently under construction, making this waterpark one of the largest in the world.
Waterbom Bali, Bali
Waterbom Bali has been awarded the top spot in Tripadvisor’s Best Waterpark in Asia. In the world, it ranks third. It has 17 waterslides, divided into “moderate” and “extreme” categories. “Climax” (the steepest slide in Asia) and Smashdown 2.0, on which you can develop up to 70 km/h, are the most extreme among them. Or if you just want to relax, you can head to the swimming cocktail bar surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.E.M. Loverswill love this huge waterpark in Abu Dhabi, featuring 41 water rides. One of the most famous is the Tornado, the world’s first and largest Tornado water slide, which allows six people at a time. Its total length is 238 metres. Daredevils descend in an inflatable raft down a water slide that takes them to a funnel 20 metres high. This water park is also famous for the almost vertical slide “Jebel Drop” , and for the fact that the highest artificial wave for surfing was created there.
Olympia Aqua Park, Greece
Olympia Waterpark is famous for its adrenaline-pumping and record-breaking waterslides – a great place for thrill-seekers. One of the most famous is the Black Hole, consisting of a maze of dark tunnels creating a sense of unknown and mystery. Besides the wide variety of water slides, you can test your endurance on attractions such as the “Looping Rocket”, a capsule that will throw you 20 metres into the sky.
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